


Time Traveler Part I (Feeling Like The World Forgot Me)

by Branithar



Series: Zsashos V [1]
Category: As It Is (Band), Set It Off (Band), Waterparks (Band)
Genre: Aliens, Cryogenics, Cybernetics, Cyberpunk, M/M, Medical Procedures, More characters to be added, Science Fiction, Strong Language, penguins that swear, shameless rip offs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-01 18:00:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 10,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20358727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Branithar/pseuds/Branithar
Summary: Freedom fighter and undercover spy Ben is caught on a mission, experimented on, cryofrozen and forgotten about. He wakes to find everything he knew long gone, the luxury space station he'd been investigating now a patchwork city of outcasts, outlaws and a barely breathable atmosphere. Though he'd planned on spending the little time he has left to investigate what happened after he was frozen, someone seems determined to not let him rest.





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben wakes up to find everything he knew gone.

“Beginning preliminary examinations of subject eighty three N. Human, young but matured, no visible augments, various scars but no other noticeable health defects.” 

“We’ll see what the scans turn up.”

Fuck, his body was heavy. His eyelids must have been welded shut and his thoughts felt sluggish, as if his head was filled with molten lead. 

“Subject’s systems are all okay. No abnormalities to report.”

“No health defects or prior augments. They finally brought in a healthy clean slate.”

Shit. They were talking about him. 

“This one’s not a regular. They caught him snooping around lab A six.” 

“Seriously? _I_ don’t know how to get in there and I can go almost anywhere. The security is fucking ridiculous.” 

_Caught._ Ben’s tired thoughts latched onto the word, slowly putting it all together. 

This was it, then. Even if someone figured out he’d been captured, no help would come in time. If he wasn’t dead when everything he’d found on Project Zsashos was leaked and the station was shut down, there would be no coming back from whatever they’d do to him now. 

It didn’t matter. All of it would be worth it if the message got through. 

He turned away from the creeping thoughts of the people he’d never say goodbye to, the voices of the researchers drifting away as he let himself slip back into unconsciousness. 

His groggy thoughts didn’t have much opportunity to rest before horrible, putrid tastes dragged him choking into awareness. His lungs burned as if filled with acid and they seemed unsure about whether they were desperate to breathe or cough themselves up. 

Something pushed him down and he realised that he was lying in a fluid of some sort. Cryo oil, he realised as the taste flooded his mouth and nose. 

Taking a breath and letting it fill his lungs, he forced himself to relax. Were they putting him under or bringing him back out? He couldn’t make out what the muffled voices were saying, but he felt around and found a plastic sheet floating in the oil with him. They must’ve just taken him out of the preservation bag, then. 

As if to confirm his theory, a violent tremor tore through his body and he wondered how he hadn’t noticed how cold he was. 

Hands slowly lifted him out of the oil and into a sitting position. This time aware of what was happening, Ben coughed up the oil in his lungs and wiped his eyes, surprised when someone pushed a strip of material into his hands to clean his face with. Why hadn’t they restrained him yet?

Shock hit when he finally opened his eyes and found himself in some cramped, dimly lit storage room. This wasn’t Zsashos V. 

“You alright, mate? You must’ve been under a long time.” 

He looked at the person next to him, a bald human wearing a mask over their mouth and nose. 

“They won’t understand you,” someone else said. 

“Who are you?” Ben demanded. Or tried to. The words he spoke weren’t his and it occurred to him that his wasn’t familiar with the language these people spoke. He wondered when they’d given him a translator and touched his ear, confused to find no device there. 

Wait. What the fuck was on his arm? He wiped away the red oil coating his skin and took in the mess of stitched up incisions. What did those fuckers do to him?

“Where are we?” he asked in a language he didn’t know. 

“An old lab on Zsashos Five,” the human next to him replied, “The space station.”

Ben shook his head. “Zsashos Five doesn’t have any labs like this. It’s not old enough.”

The walls here were covered in rust and grime and in the semi darkness Ben could just make out the large tendrils of some massive creature curling out of bent panels in the walls and ceiling. 

A human with a mess of dark hair falling over their eyes and augments covering the side of their head approached. 

“Let’s get you dry and warm,” they said gently, “We’ll figure everything out.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patty, Ali and Foley discuss the strange things they've found on a simple scavenging trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I plan on keeping chapters short for this series. It will make them easier to plan and far faster to post, so I feel like it gives me a bit more freedom.

The human they’d woken called himself Ben. It was amazing that he was still alive after all this time. Cryo was all well and good, but it just wasn’t reliable after several centuries. The technology way back then was far too primitive. 

Patty had found some old clothes for Ben and they’d given him some privacy to get dressed while they searched the small lab for salvageable goods and discuss their strange find. 

“How long do you think he’s been in there?” Foley wondered aloud as he pried open a cupboard with a lock too rusted to pick. 

“Since before the Light Age,” Ali replied confidently, examining the gurney in the middle of the room for useful mechanical pieces. 

Foley’s cupboard surrendered to the crowbar with a metallic groan. “_Really?_”

“Well the Beast has had this area blocked off about that long, hasn’t it? We’re only here now because this part of it’s withering away.” He gestured up at the rotting tendrils on the ceiling as if to prove his point. 

“This must be weird for him,” Patty murmured, looking over an ancient terminal and half hoping that if he got it working it would give him all the answers, “He can’t have meant to be frozen this long and now everything he knows is gone.”

“So what do we do now?” Foley asked as he moved on to the next cupboard, “I don’t think we can just leave him, he’ll probably go mad seeing all our futuristic technology.” 

"His immune system will be weak, I doubt he'll last longer than twenty rotations,” Ali said, “Especially since he can't be quarantined the way long term cryo users need to be."

“He could stay with us, then,” Patty suggested, giving up on the terminal. It was far too old to even be recognisable as a computer. He stood and looked at the door to Ben’s storage room. “We can at least make him comfortable until…” Foley and Ali looked away. There was no need to finish that sentence. “I'll ask him what he wants to do.” 

The door didn’t have any distinctive markers that separated it from the rest of the wall, it even had a shelf attached to it. They probably would never have even noticed it if the Beast hadn’t pried it open long ago. Patty wondered if that was a popular design choice back when the station had been built. 

Ben was now dressed in the white gown they’d found for him. Foley had put him in a desk chair after helping him out of the cryo reheating unit since he seemed too weak to walk on his own, and Ben had since wheeled it over to a cabinet. He was now looking at a file, angling it toward the light of the torch they’d left. 

“Who else knows about this place?” he asked, not looking up as Patty approached. 

“Just us,” Patty said, “Why?”

Ben frowned at the file, then put it back in the cabinet and pulled out another. “Could it stay that way for a while?” 

Patty looked back at the door, where Ali and Foley now watched them. Foley gave a shrug. 

“There might be something about me here,” Ben explained, “Something I wouldn’t want anyone else to find.” 

“Uh...okay?” 

“Thank you.” 

Patty dragged a small crate over and sat. “You probably don’t have anywhere to stay, right?”

“Probably not.” 

He glanced at Ali and Foley again. “Well, we’d hate to leave you on your own while you’re recovering from cryo. Our place is nearby, you can stay with us until you’re back on your feet.” 

Ben looked amused. “It's a space station, everything's nearby.”

What was that supposed to mean? 

“We’ll probably have enough to keep you fed after we sell everything we got today,” Patty continued, “I mean, you’re not gonna need that cryo oil anymore, are you?” 

Ben smiled dryly, putting his file back and shutting the drawer. “I suppose not.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time in space is popularly measured in rotations and revolutions. One rotation is the length of time it takes whatever planet, moon or station the speaker is standing on to complete a 360 degree turn, usually just called a day on planets and moon. A revolution is how long it takes an orbiting body to go around whatever it's orbiting once, a year for planets. Lunar, planetary and solar revolutions are included in dates according to relevance, ie. planets with several or no moons will not use lunar revolutions in their timekeeping systems. Since these vary everywhere, they do not generally affect sleep cycles, work shifts and holidays.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben learns that a lot has changed since he was frozen.

All of Zsashos V’s original crew quarters had been designed to double as escape pods. In case of emergency, a crew member could go to the terminal at the back of their room and eject it from the station and, presumably, out of danger. Otherwise inaccessible lockers would be opened, revealing enough rations to last the average adult human a year. All of this information had been provided at Ben’s briefing when he’d been shown his pod before his first shift on Zsashos V. 

Foley, Ali and Patty had made their home in the empty space where a pod used to be, but had long since been ejected. They said a lot of people had lived here before them and made the space habitable by building bunks and small walls to divide the space up, all eventually leaving or dying. 

Ali, who seemed to be covered head-to-toe in cosmetic augments and purple tattoos, assured him that all they found when they first moved in were a few bodies. 

“Here,” he said, helping Ben sit on a metal crate by a mess of scrap metal in the middle of the room, “I’ll get my things and check your vitals and all that.”

“You’re a doctor?” 

“Well, no. But I know enough.” 

It wasn’t like he had options, he supposed. 

Patty sat on a crate beside him, fiddling with some kind of wireless controller. Lights blinked on in the heap of metal, a warm glow emanating from its centre. 

“Space heater,” Patty explained when Ben gave him a questioning look. He indicated to what looked like the grate from an air vent stuck to the top with wire. “You can cook on it too.” 

Ali returned, setting a large bag on the floor beside Ben and pulling a crate closer. “Do you feel dizzy at all?” 

As Ali looked over him, occasionally making a concerned _hm_ at a reading his scanner gave, Patty and Foley moved crates off an unused bunk. Ben wondered what the plan was. They were scavengers, perhaps they meant to cut his throat while he slept and sell the tech they got from his body. Maybe they wanted his organs too and they'd act friendly until they found buyers for his heart, liver and kidneys. 

Or maybe they would just wait for him to die. Ben knew the risks of cryo and why long distance space travel was such a bitch. His body wasn't built for whatever pathogens existed in humans now. 

"So…" Ali started. 

"Bad news?" 

"We'll have to wait and see," he said noncommittally, "Cryo can have side effects and you'd obviously had...surgeries just beforehand. The tech is old, and honestly I'm not sure what any of it _does._"

Ben suspected that Ali was hoping he'd provide some clarity. 

After a moment of silence, he continued. "There's also the problem of…"

"Disease," Ben finished for him, "I know." 

Ali visibly deflated in relief at not having to explain it to Ben. "We don't exactly have anything like what you'd need to safely bring your immune system up to speed." 

Ben gazed at the heater. "I suppose there's no point to you wearing your masks, then. I probably won't last ten lunar revolutions."

"Lunar?" Foley repeated, setting a small box by the fire and taking out some kind of salvaged cooking pan, "Zsashos Five orbits the sun, Lliri Twenty Four. I don't think _any_ human could last a revolution." 

Ben frowned. "Zsashos Five was put in orbit around Iphion's moon, Kestruna, so that guests could watch the storms on its surface. That was its main selling point."

Foley put water and what Ben assumed was food into the pan and set it on the grate over the heater. "Well obviously it started off orbiting a moon or planet, but when it got big enough they moved it."

He had to be fucking with Ben. 

"Well, how big is Zsashos Five now?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 173 is sent on a new mission.

173 let the cryo oil drain from his nose and mouth and lifted himself out of the reheating unit. His body was still ice cold, but why waste time waiting for the oil to heat when he would warm up by getting up and moving anyway. 

"Eager for your next mission, One Seventy Three?" a voice asked as a towel was handed to him. 

Doctor Ezik's face was much more lined than when 173 had last seen him, though it seemed only minutes ago that he’d debriefed him for the last mission. 

"What can I do?" 

Doctor Ezik smiled and held up a file. 

173 dried his hands, took it and swiped through the images and documents it showed. The images were mainly of humans lying on tables, or hung up in cryo bags, or being operated on, all heavily augmented like 173. 

"An old project may have been rediscovered. We've picked up a signal similar to the one your tracker broadcasts from an old facility of ours and think it could be a subject we thought lost. You will investigate the signal. If it is a living subject, you will bring it back alive and as intact as possible. If it's dead, you will put the body on ice and bring it back. If there is no possible way to recover it, no other organisation can be allowed to have it. It must be destroyed." 

173 nodded. "I will recover the subject." 

"The details are in the file, but it looks like you'll be going to an old space station we used to own, Zsashos Five. Don't forget to pack pepper spray."


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben opens up to the others.

Ben seemed more interested in going through the files in the room they'd found him in than doing literally anything else, even eating. Foley didn’t think it seemed healthy to spend that much time sitting in the dark reading ancient medical documents, but he supposed that there were few healthy ways to cope with waking up from cryo to find that everyone you know is long dead and you're likely soon to die from a fucking cold or something. All things considered, Ben was actually taking it pretty well. 

They’d helped him move the files from the lab to their place so that he could examine them at home, holding off on asking him if it was okay for them to sell or use some of the other stuff they found there. There was no need to worry him with all that right now. He’d somewhat recovered from the cryo, but every rotation now he got sicker and thinner and more exhausted, the very water he drank poisoning him. 

"Ali, how much do you know about augmenting?” Ben asked one rotation, Foley sitting by the heater with him and preparing a meal of baked potatoes that Ben likely wouldn’t be able to keep down. 

“Not a lot,” Ali admitted, “But we know people who do. Why?”

“It looks like they put a tracker in me,” he answered, somewhat cryptically. 

Foley looked away from the simmering pot on the heater. “_They?_” 

“The people who did all this to me.” 

Ali sat at his other side. “You don’t really talk about why you were frozen.” 

“I’m used to having to keep secrets.” He scoffed and closed the file in his lap. “I suppose there’s no point now, though, everyone I kept them for is dead.”

Foley frowned and went back to watching the potatoes. He didn’t know if he would be able to cope if he lost all his friends, Ali and Patty in particular. He’d always imagined that, now that they’d found each other, they’d always be together no matter how bad things got.

“I got caught,” Ben explained, “My people suspected that an organisation, One Great Race, was working on weapons and that Zsashos Five was a cover for one of their research facilities. I came here posing as a sort of gardener - it was a bit of a luxury resort for humans back then, so one of the viewing decks was a garden - so that we could investigate.” 

Patty emerged from behind the divider in his favourite black crop top, the one emblazoned on the chest with a large pink heart. He must’ve been planning on meeting up with someone later. 

“I really can’t picture this shithole as a luxury resort,” he said, smiling, “And I definitely can’t picture anyone bothering to build something like that just for humans. There aren’t enough of us for it to be worth it.” 

Ben frowned. “What do you mean? There are billions of humans.” 

Foley sucked his teeth. “Sorry mate. The Federation have had us classified as at risk for ages.” 

“Oh.” 

He gave Ben a pat on the shoulder. “It’s not so bad. Me and Patty are doing okay, aren’t we?” 

Ben looked at Ali. “You aren’t?”

“Well, I’m not fully human, am I? I’m part zahath.” 

“_Zahath?_” 

“They’re newer to the Federation than humans, but they’ve been around for a while now. You couldn’t tell that I’m not pure human?” 

Ben shrugged. “I just assumed you had a lot of cosmetic augments.” 

Foley snorted, tried to hold it in, then looked at Ali, with his beard and crest of fine colourful feathers, and burst out laughing. “I’m sorry!” he spluttered, “_A lot of augments!_” 

“To be fair,” Ben defended, a smile in his voice, “I didn’t know that was possible. It _wasn’t_ before I went under.” 

“So what happened back then?” Patty asked, clearly holding in a laugh as his eyes flickered to Ali, who also looked close to cracking up, but trying to steer the conversation back to Ben’s gardening days, “Did you find anything?”

“Yeah, plenty. I’d just sent a message with notes on most of their research when they found me. From what I can tell, the labs were all shut down pretty quickly after that, but I guess someone still wanted to make money off of the station and it was left in orbit.” 

“I think I know what you’re talking about,” Ali said. 

Foley looked at him. “What do you mean?” 

“Well...I’m not a historian, but there was an organisation a long time ago...human and osai. They wanted to create a superior species by combining their DNA and enslaving or destroying everyone else. A small group of freedom fighters exposed them.” 

That did ring a bell, now that Foley thought about it. 

Ben gave Ali a curious look. “Is that what they’re saying happened?”

“It was a long time ago,” Ali said with a shrug, “Does that sound like what you were dealing with?”

Ben returned the shrug. “I didn’t know the full extent of their research, just what was happening here. Obviously I don’t know what happened after I was caught either, but we did suspect that an osai faction was involved.”

“Well, you can probably just look up the trials and see if any of it sounds familiar,” Foley suggested, poking at a potato with a sharpened antenna.

“Can I?” Ben said, noticeably perking up.

“Sure. It’d all be public record by now. You could go look through a terminal with access to those archives after you have that tracker looked at.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ali and Patty take Ben to meet their favourite mechanics.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick warning for referenced medical procedures and a bit of Patty/Cody. Enjoy!

Patty certainly seemed happy about an excuse to see Cody. His empathic nature and Ben’s deteriorating health made for a heart-wrenching combination and Ali was glad to see his spirits somewhat lifted, even as he turned up the tint on his contact lenses until he couldn't see and they helped Ben walk to Zach, Dan and Cody’s shop. 

“They’re all born human,” he explained as he lowered Ben into a seat on the tram they were taking to the mech sector, “But Cody has this...thing. Some of his skin is blue and scarred, so don’t be too shocked when you see him. It upsets him.”

“I like the way he looks,” Patty put in, resting his chin on the head of the cane he'd made to feel his way around when he had to blind himself, “It’s a pretty blue.” 

The cane idea came from a book Patty read about ancient human history. Back when their technology was so primitive that humans hadn't yet figured out virtual reality brain implants, blindness was often a permanent condition, so they figured out how to use sticks to see instead. Aside from some short-sightedness, Patty could see perfectly well, he just preferred not to when he was in any space larger than their bunker. Even that had been almost too much for him when they'd first moved in.

Ali smiled. “A lot of people gave him shit about his skin back home, so he came here. Nobody blinks an eye on Zsashos Five.” 

ZDC Prosthetiks had been made in the skeleton of an old drop ship deep in what used to be the hangar of a much larger ship, but had long since been turned into the tech hub of Zsashos V, popularly referred to as the mech sector. Most of the station was like that now, large ships docked at ports or stored in hangars, stripped for parts and eventually assimilated with the station’s systems. 

Since moving in, Zach, Dan and Cody had built an extra storey on top of the drop ship and furnished it to create a large workspace and somewhat cozy home. They’d even set up a guest room for clients that needed to stay back while they watched for adverse reactions to new augments. 

When Patty lost his right eye and they'd been going through a rough patch financially, he, Ali and Foley gone straight to Dan for a cybernetic one, grateful for their policy on keeping everything as affordable as possible. All they’d really asked them to pay for was the eye itself. 

Ali had endless admiration for their efforts to be generous on the station. Kindness rarely payed well. 

“Hey!” Zach greeted when they entered, “Haven’t seen you guys in a while!” 

“It’s been _forever,_” Patty agreed, making a beeline to Cody for a hug and kiss. 

"Ben, this is Zach and Cody," Ali said, gesturing between them. 

“You don’t seem familiar,” Zach observed, looking at Ben. 

“I’m new here.” 

Zach nodded understandingly. "You look like you've got a lot of tech. Something you want looked at?" 

"I need a few signals checked," Ben confirmed. 

Cody untangled from a reluctant Patty to get some devices down from a wall rack. "Lie down," he said, gesturing to the table in the middle of the room, "Full body check-up?" 

Ben nodded as Ali helped him onto the table. 

As Cody ran a scanner over Ben’s body, Zach set up a monitor and gestured for Ali to take a seat. “Any kind of signal in particular?” 

“...A tracking beacon...of sorts.” 

Zach gave another nod. “Hey, no problem. We’ve disabled plenty of those before.” 

Ben seemed to relax at that, watching Cody wave the scanner over him again. 

“Okay…” Zach said, watching lines of text appear on the screen, “Wow, this is some retro tech. That’s good, Cody. Ben, you can sit up now.” He wheeled the monitor over, adjusting it so Ben could see. “So you’ve got a few signals here.” He pointed to something. “This one’s harmless, it’s just your translator. It searches nearby databases to help it learn and understand spoken language.” He pointed to something else. “Your problem is over here. Every couple of ticks this thing searches for a certain signal, usually something broadcasted throughout prisons, and, every time it doesn’t find it, transmits a trackable signal.” 

“So...you’ll reprogram it to think that it’s receiving the right signal?” Ben asked.

“Fuck no,” Cody laughed, “We’ll take everything out and use the parts to fix our microwave.” 

“Well, we’ll take out as much as you’re comfortable with, starting with the transmitter,” Zach corrected, “There’s usually a lot of other stuff in there, like boosters and encrypters, but it’s a super easy procedure. I could do it with a hand cut off.” 

Patty came up behind Cody and kissed his neck. “So you don’t need to help out?”

Cody grinned. “Nope.” 

Taking his hand, Patty led him through a backdoor in the corner of the room. 

Zach rolled his eyes dramatically and passed Ali a mask. “We’ll do it in the Faraday cage.” 

The main operating theatre was at the back of the drop ship in a room lined with mesh to keep signals from getting in or out. Another scan showed that the tracking device was attached to the inside of one of Ben’s ribs. Cutting a piece of rib out wouldn’t normally bother Ali, but with Ben so weak already he had to worry. 

“So who is he?” Zach asked once they had Ben under anaesthesia and were operating. 

“It’s a bit of an odd story,” Ali answered, passing Zach tools as needed, “We found him cryofrozen in one of the core labs. Apparently he’s been there since the station orbited a moon.”

“Shit. How is he still alive?”

“Some incredible luck, I suppose.” Ali looked at the growing collection of bloody electronics on the paper towel he’d laid out, wondering why humans back then had bothered with augments when it all had to be so bulky. “He’s dying, though.”

“Why?” 

“His body can’t handle the station anymore, the bacteria and all that.”

“So why do this?”

Ali shrugged, glancing at Ben. “It seemed important to him. He was part of some rebel group and all this is what the enemy did when they caught him. I guess in a way he never wants to risk them finding him again.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 173 arrives at Zsashos V.

173 pulled the old tarp over his craft, hiding it pretty effectively if he did say so himself. 

During some research on the way to Zsashos V, 173 had been lucky enough to stumble upon a document describing an old smugglers’ bay near the core of the station. It had been added by weapons dealers over two revolutions ago, but had fallen out of use as the kinds of weapons they were smuggling became legal or obsolete and so much was added to the station that only the smallest crafts could possibly get to it. 

Setting up camp was next on his to-do list. As forgotten as it was, this bay was no good. He couldn’t risk leading someone back to his craft as he came and went, and it was farther from the core than he’d like. He’d made a list of potential hide-outs using old plans of the original station, the first spot being a long trek away. 

The target’s signal had stopped broadcasting not long ago. Maybe it was just interference, but 173 suspected the tracker had somehow been compromised. A concerning thought, since all the human subjects in the file, now destroyed according to procedure, had had their trackers on the inside of their ribs. 

Maybe he would need the refrigerator on his craft after all.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben contemplates how much Zsashos V has changed since the original structure was built.

“Inhale slowly.”

Ben followed Zach’s instruction, not noticing anything unusual. By now he was used to the burning he felt every time he took a breath. 

“Any pain?”

Ben shook his head, “Nothing that wasn’t already there.” 

Zach nodded at Ali. “Should be all good, then.”

“One hundred credits, right?” Ali asked, taking a small rectangular device out of an inner pocket and tapping the screen.

Zach frowned. “Come on, man, it’s ninety for friends.” 

“Oops, too late.” 

A nearby terminal dinged and Zach rolled his eyes. “We’ll keep everything we removed for a full rotation,” he told Ben, “If you notice any weird side effects, come back and we’ll see if we took out anything that should’ve been left in. Sometimes things are wired weirdly and integrated into essential systems when they shouldn’t be, though we did check and I couldn’t see anything wrong.”

Ben nodded, though he didn’t think he had enough time left for something like that to matter. “I’ll keep an eye out.” 

“Is that everything?” Zach asked, glancing at Ali.

"I think Patty needed something looked at as well…" 

"Cody will take care of it." 

“Right…” Ali looked at Ben. “I suppose we’ll be off, then. We have a few things to do while we’re out here.” 

“See you around.” 

Zsashos V was...strange. The aesthetic had moved from pretentious minimalist bullshit to patchwork neon clutter, and though a lot of the structure as he’d known it was still there as far as he’d seen, there was so much that had been added on later that the station as a whole was unrecognisable. Much of the population was, too. He wondered how many civilisations had achieved space travel since he’d gone under. 

“Oi, watch it, cunt!” 

Ben jumped back, recognising the person he’d nearly kicked as osai. “Sorry.”

The black and white feathered person, who barely came up to Ben’s knees, clicked their beak irritably and waddled off into what looked like a holographic strip club. 

This part of the station was dark enough that the club had set up two holo cages just outside its doors, an osai holo flickering and becoming a human as Ben and Ali passed to blow a kiss at them. When had multicoloured holos become possible? And when had they gotten so lifelike? 

Ali gave Ben as many opportunities to sit down as possible on their way back towards the core, taking trams and elevators where Ben suspected he would normally walk. Even still, the journey was tiring for him and he missed how easy running used to be. 

“Had the Library already been added before you were frozen?” Ali asked. 

A fucking library? “No.” 

“I think the Order of the Six Gods set it up. They run it now, at least. It’s probably the nicest place on the whole station, they keep it so tidy.” 

“I remember the Order.” They’d been a small group, unpopular with a lot of governments since some of their gods were Truth and Knowledge. “They were peaceful back then. I guess that’s probably changed if they’re surviving here.” 

Ali shook his head. “Maybe that’s _why_ they’re surviving. They believe in giving people free stuff, everyone knows if you fuck with them you’re a piece of shit. A few gangs protect them now because they use the Library so much.” 

“For _what?_”

“Drug recipes, probably.” 

The Library was just as clean as Ali had said. Ben hadn’t seen walls that glossy since before he’d gone under. The huge doorway, probably designed so that anyone could easily get in regardless of species, made no effort to hide the massive interior, the shelves upon shelves of files reaching far up to the ceiling. 

Ali waved to an individual in yellow robes. “Excuse me.” 

Ben looked between the priest and Ali, wondering if they were zahath. Ali didn’t have the talons or the intimidating beak, but the fine feathers of his beard and the larger ones on his head seemed similar to the priest’s. 

“How may I help you?” the priest chirped. 

“We’re looking for some old stuff about the station, actually. From when it orbited...what was it, Ben?” 

“Kestruna. Iphion’s moon.” 

The priest nodded. “We keep all our files about the station right there,” they said, gesturing to a group of terminals in the middle of the room and leading them over, “Are you looking for anything in particular?” 

“Court documents,” Ben answered, “From the trials of the researchers that originally worked here.” 

“Interesting choice.” The priest tapped at the keyboard in front of a terminal. “Would you like those downloaded to a personal harddrive?”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 173 investigates his target's last known location.

173 touched the leftover oil at the bottom the cryo reheating unit. Still wet. The only freezing facility in this area had been looted long ago, if the state of the rest of the station was anything to go by. This lab must have been blocked off since the first solar revolution, probably by the massive lifeform whose tendrils snaked all throughout the core. 

Subject 57R, according to the file, locally known as the Beast. Fortunately not 173’s target. Although it was harmless, getting it home would have been a pain in the ass. The OGR researchers here probably released it to protect this area back when the enemy had tried to shut them down. Cutting through it would’ve been difficult back then when its skin had been tougher, but even looters could get through now that it was dying. 

173 went to the sarcophagus in the corner of the room, a cryo storage unit big enough for one adult human. Or three osai if they were stacked, 173 supposed, though it had been a few defrostings since he’d seen any working with OGR. The faded label on the lid read 83N. Interesting. That particular subject had reminded 173 of someone when he’d seen their photos, though he couldn’t remember who. 

83N had been part of their research into long-term cryo freezing, much like 173. The body would have been augmented to quickly adapt to new environments without the need for quarantining, allowing subjects to be defrosted and sent on missions as needed. 83N had been the subject of other projects, but that part of the file had been redacted so 173 didn’t care about those. Bringing them home was all that mattered.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patty meets a friend of Ben's.

Patty leaned on the table, squeezing his eyes shut against the blinding light as a wave of nausea passed through him. Hand shaking, he pulled the processor out of the side of his head and blew on it, willing himself not to throw up. As his stomach began to settle somewhat, he pushed it back it, blinking in the dimness of the bunker. 

“You okay, mate?” 

“Yeah.” Patty looked over his shoulder at Ben, bundled up in several large blankets. He pointed to the processor. “It fucks up sometimes.” 

Ben gave him a long look before putting his headphones back on and going back to whatever he was doing. Watching old court trials, Patty remembered. Trying to figure out what happened after OGR captured him. He was wearing the blankets because he was sick. No, not just sick. Dying. 

Patty flopped down on his bunk. “Do you know what I was just doing?” 

Ben removed his headphones again. “What?”

“No, like, what was I doing?” 

“Oh. You just got back. I think you mentioned your friend Awsten? You were gone for ages.”

“Oh god.”

“You don’t like him?”

“No, it just sucks that I forgot.” 

It was just his luck that he’d have an episode right after seeing Awsten. He’d been missing him lately and it had been difficult to bring people back here since they’d found Ben. While Ali and Foley worked often, allowing plenty of opportunity for private moments with whoever Patty wanted, Ben couldn’t leave as often and never for so long. 

Of course, Patty didn’t fault him for it. He deserved to be as comfortable as possible for his last rotations and Patty getting laid every now and then wasn’t shit compared to that. He did wish he could do more for him, though. Ben was sweet. Patty felt kinda shitty for being a bit upset. 

As he wondered if the gap in his memory could make for some fun messages later or if Awsten would be upset that he forgot, the door creaked open, crashing his train of thought. Had he forgotten to lock it? Someone Patty didn’t recognise, but seemed to have similar head augments to Ben, walked in. 

Patty sat up. “Can I help?” he asked, unsure what else to do. 

“Eighty Three N,” the stranger replied. 

“_Maxx?_”

Patty glanced at Ben, surprised. “You know them?”

Maxx headed straight for Ben. “I’m taking you home, Eighty Three N.”

“Maxx, what happened to you?” Ben sounded worried. 

Patty got up and put himself between them. “Wait, what’s going on?” he asked Maxx. 

Maxx pushed Patty aside easily, but Patty moved back in front of him. 

“Stop. What are you doing here?”

Maxx’s expression remained neutral as he grabbed Patty’s throat, squeezing hard. 

“Maxx, stop! Leave him alone, he’s just trying to help!”

Maxx was strong. Patty grasped his head in both hands, pushing his thumbs into his eyes. Maxx shoved him back into a wall and Patty’s head slammed against it with a deafening clang. Head spinning, he dropped to his knees, a hand reaching back instinctively to check for damage. Maxx pushed him down and wrestled him onto his stomach, snaking an arm around his neck. 

He tried desperately to gasp for air, tears springing to his eyes. Even as Ben’s shouts faded with Patty’s vision, his mind kept racing, afraid of what it would do to Ali and Foley to find his body like this.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 173 finds that his target isn't what he was expecting.

83N was weak. Close to death, even. He’d been frozen for far too long and his augments hadn’t all been activated properly in the first place. 

He seemed unwilling to come back with 173, only promising to give himself up if 173 didn’t kill the human. It had gone against 173’s no witnesses protocol, but he could go back and finish the job when 83N was safely onboard his craft. 

Before that could happen, though, 173 would need a lab. 83N wouldn’t make it back at this rate and the refrigerator was only good for cadavers. 173 would make no plans to bring a corpse back while the target was still alive. 

“What happened to you?” 83N asked as 173 carried him to camp. It was faster than having him walk. 

“One Great Race saved me. They’ll save you too.”

“Those fuckers are still around?” 

“They’re eternal,” he answered, allowing a hint of pride into his tone. 

“You hate them, Maxx. You always hated them and everything they stand for.”

173 wondered if he had met 83N before after all. He didn’t think too hard about it. He’d been warned against trying to recall the awful memories One Great Race had graciously blocked out for him. They would only compromise him. 

“I am One Seventy Three. One Great Race saved me.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben realises the fight still isn't over.

It still wasn’t over, even after all this time. 

OGR still weren’t done fucking the galaxy over and parading around the husks of people they’d stolen and destroyed. Ben wondered what hurt more, all the time he’d spent thinking he’d lost everyone he loved forever or seeing Maxx like this, an empty shell obsessed with serving the people they’d both loathed not so long ago. 

He didn’t even look like himself anymore. His hair was cropped short to keep it out of the way of the augments in his head, his long coat and stetson replaced with ugly black combat gear. They’d even swapped his laser revolver for a bullshit semi-automatic pistol. 

As much as he wanted to fight, Ben didn’t have the strength to resist as Maxx strapped him down to an operating table. If Maxx hadn’t killed him yet, OGR must have wanted Ben alive. He got a sort of cold satisfaction out of the thought that they wouldn’t get him. He could barely even keep himself breathing. 

Maxx slipped his jacket and singlet off, revealing a collection of augments that looked similar to Ben’s. He took out several rolls of short cables and started plugging them into himself and Ben.

“What are you doing?” Although this wasn’t really Maxx anymore, part of him needed to hear his voice. 

“Activating your adaptive augments. They’ll help you survive in this time. They should have been activated before you were frozen, but I can probably repair the damage you’ve taken now.”

Goddamn it, could he not just have _something?_ What the fuck had he done to deserve all this bullshit? He supposed that this proved that his Maxx was gone for good, though. He’d been a fucking hopeless medic in life. 

Ben’s lungs started to feel itchy. 

“How do you feel?” Maxx asked, looking up from a beeping handheld device.

“Fuck off,” Ben spat. 

“That’s not a helpful answer, Eighty Three N.”

“My name is Ben. You can shove your helpful answer up your arse.” His stomach had started to churn uncomfortably. He hoped he’d throw up on Maxx. 

Unaware, and probably uncaring, of Ben’s discomfort, Maxx plugged plastic tubes into ports on his and Ben’s arms. Dark blood started to flow along them and Maxx took a seat on a chair beside Ben’s table, straight-backed and completely still. 

Ben closed his eyes against a growing headache, hoping that he’d only make Maxx sick too.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Foley worries about Patty.

Foley rubbed his face, feeling utterly useless as Ali and Zach examined Patty in the Faraday cage. 

Cody stopped pacing for a moment. “What happened?” he demanded again. 

Foley shook his head. “He was on the floor when we got home. His head augment was broken and there was blood-” He swallowed. “Ali did the best he could, but when he came to all he did was stare at us. He tried to talk, but…” 

“Did Ben do it?” 

“He couldn’t have. He’s on his last legs, me and Ali have been making arrangements for his body. Patty made us put it off for as long as possible.” 

“Then _who did it?_” Cody shouted. 

“Stop it, Cody,” Dan snapped, “You’re not helping.” 

Cody looked like he wanted to hit Dan for a moment, but his eyes started to glisten and he slumped and fell into a chair instead. 

Dan went over and gave him a pat on the shoulder. “I’m gonna message Awsten, okay? Him and Geoff should be here.” 

Foley felt sick. It couldn’t be that serious. Maybe only the casing had been broken and Patty was just in shock. Dan came back and as time dragged by in sickening silence Foley’s tenuous grip on that hope loosened. Ali came out briefly to ask Dan to come to the cage, telling them nothing about Patty’s condition. Awsten and Geoff eventually arrived and Foley didn’t have it in him to relate what had happened again. 

“I was just with him,” Awsten said softly, “He was fine.” 

Foley had expected a more volatile reaction from him. His quiet dejectedness made him feel sicker. What had Dan said when he called them over? 

Zach looked tired when he finally came out. “Foley?” He gestured back to the cage. 

Foley didn’t stop to ask how Patty was. He raced to the back of the ship, nearly tripping when he reached the cage and saw Ali holding Patty close on the operating table.

“Patty?” He could barely speak out loud. 

Relief nearly had him collapsing to the floor when they separated and Patty looked at him. 

“Hey,” he said gently. 

Foley ran forward to hug him, unable to stop the tears that spilled over. “Goddamn it, mate.” 

“I know, I’m sorry.”

“It was close,” Ali said, “But nothing that we couldn’t fix was broken. Zach and Dan want to keep him over for a while, though. Just in case.” 

They helped Patty off the table, hovering at his side as they went to the guest room. A glance at the back of Patty’s head only showed that Zach and Dan had put a temporary cover over the damaged area at the back of the head augment. Patty made himself comfortable in the middle of the bed and pat the sheets for them to lay with him. 

“Do you remember what happened?” Ali asked. 

Patty curled up closer to him, saying nothing for a while. 

“My...processor fucked up again.” He thought for another moment. “Maybe on the way home? Ben was...wearing a lot of blankets and watching something on a file.” Patty sat up. “Someone came in.”

Foley and Ali sat up too. “Who?” Foley asked. 

“I don’t know, I can’t remember. They kept saying a number. I think Ben recognised them.” 

Foley thought hard. Who had Ben met that could have gone to their place today? 

“An osai?” 

Foley looked at Ali, but he just shrugged at him. 

Patty shook his head. “Human. I think. They were acting weird. I tried to stop them and ask what they wanted but they attacked me.” 

“They wanted Ben?” Foley clarified.

“I think so. God, we gotta find him.”

Patty moved to get up, but Foley put a hand on his shoulder. “You need to stay here. Let Zach and Dan look after you.” 

Patty looked about to argue. 

“Awsten and Geoff are here,” Ali said quickly, “Maybe they can help instead.”

Patty hesitated at first, but caved and nodded. “Please help him.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 173 wonders if he made the right call.

173 focused on keeping his back straight as another nauseous wave passed through him. Sweat dripped down his face and body, sticky and uncomfortable. His muscles ached, too. And his bones. And his head. 

Worryingly, 83N was still struggling and groaning in pain. Surely he should be feeling better by now, right? 173’s blood was immune to modern minor illnesses and loaded with nanites that fought infection, shouldn’t it be curing 83N? 

173 hadn’t been trained in field medicine, but he suspected this wasn’t covered anyway. Maybe he should’ve found a doctor and held a gun to their head instead of trying to figure it out himself. 

83N stopped moving. 173 checked his pulse, wondering how fast it should be and whether it was supposed to be that faint. It was going, at least, and 173 chose to count that as a win. 83N probably just needed a good sleep while his body got used to being super strong and virus-resistant. That was all.

173 started disconnecting the tubes and cables, hoping his stomach would settle quickly.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ali and Awsten search for Ben.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dastardly penguin time :)

“Have you seen a human around here?” Ali asked the osai, “About this tall, shaved head, loads of augments? He’s very sick.”

“Maybe,” the osai replied, holding out their...fin? Wing? 

Ali fished through his pockets until he found an old can tab and gave it to them.

The osai examined it for a moment. “Yeah, I seen two humans like that. One was kinda carrying the other cunt and pointing a gun at anyone that got close. They went, uh...ay, MICK!”

“What?” another osai squawked from atop the hovercraft they were working on. Or stripping for parts. 

“Where did those human fucks go? The plastered cunts with all the tech in their heads.” 

The other osai hopped down from the craft, waddled over and promptly held their wing out. 

Ali offered another tab. 

“Fuck off.”

“I got this,” Awsten said, patting Ali’s shoulder. He took a small bottle out of his coat and opened it, picking out what looked like a human tooth and bending down to place it on the osai’s...palm? 

“Hm...I don’t know,” they said, turning the tooth over, “They seem pretty keen to find those humans, don’t they Lachie?” 

“They sure do, Mick.” 

Shaking his head, Awsten gave them another tooth. “You guys suck.” 

“That’s more like it. Yeah, they went to fuckin’ engine three.” 

“Thank you,” Ali said. 

“Yeah, fuck off.” 

As they set off for the engine, Ali sent out a message to the others.

“Any idea who the other guy is?” Awsten asked. 

Ali shook his head. “They don’t sound familiar. They’ve gotta be the one who attacked Patty though, right?”

Awsten pulled a revolver out of its holster, checking the energy cartridges. “Probably.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben finally gets his feelings out there.

The ground swayed as Maxx dragged Ben along, his arm pulled over his shoulders. He tried to keep track of where they were going, but his eyes wouldn’t focus on anything and the whole goddamn station looked pretty much the same if he was being honest. On the bright side, he’d been successful in throwing up on Maxx’s shoes. 

Maxx released him suddenly, letting him fall to the floor and stumbling forward a few steps. 

“Fuck...no...” 

“What?” Ben moaned, rolling onto his side. The cold floor was nice. 

When Maxx didn’t reply, he opened his eyes, squinting to see what was happening.

Maxx was standing stock still, staring at a small, torn-apart machine. 

Ben frowned. “Is that yours,” he deadpanned. 

“My craft…” 

Ben squeezed his eyes shut. “You left it here...unprotected…” He opened his eyes again, taking in the craft, looted of everything but its frame. They even took the windows. “You daft fucking robot.” 

Maxx sat, or rather fell, down and rubbed his head. “Shit...” 

Ben looked around the room, a landing bay it seemed, spotting a short length of cable nearby. “They really picked the worst person they could find to be their delivery boy, didn’t they?” he taunted, eyeing Maxx’s back while he crawled towards the cable. 

“Shut up.” He sounded close to tears. 

“All those augments and you’re still a goddamn idiot,” Ben continued, grabbing the cable and making his way back to Maxx, “I bet they don’t even send you on important missions. They have you do the easy ones so you can feel good about yourself.”

“No they don’t,” Maxx contradicted, a little childishly. 

Ben didn’t relent. If he was being honest, it was almost cathartic to get it all out there. “Your_ real _purpose is stroking their egos with your mindless worship of them. Think about it, I’m over a revolution old. What could they possibly want with tech as outdated as mine?” Now that Ben thought about it, that _was_ a good point. He filed it away for later, sitting up and clapping a hand on Maxx’s shoulder. “Honestly, they’ll probably be glad when you don’t come back.”

Before Maxx had a chance to whine like a spoiled brat deprived of a lollipop, Ben looped the cable and threw it over his head, yanking hard. Maxx grappled at his neck and kicked his feet, toppling onto his side. Ben maneuvered them so that he was on top, the exertion making him feel queasy again. 

He noticed Maxx pawing hopelessly at his holster and let go of the cable, pinching the back of his hand hard and grabbing the gun when it drew away. He put it to the back of Maxx’s head, but Maxx grabbed his wrist and he shot the floor instead, leaving a small scorch mark. Head spinning, he tried to recall what that meant about the weapon. Some kind of laser pistol, not so powerful that it would put a hole in the station and suck the oxygen out, but probably hot enough to burn an organic lifeform... 

Maxx threw Ben off and wrestled him to the floor, trying to grab the gun but crying out when Ben poked his eyes with two fingers. Well, one eye and an eye socket. Ben aimed for the head again, fumbling and firing a few shots into the ceiling this time. He yanked Maxx’s ear, pulling him off his center of balance so he could shove him away and roll in the other direction.

Shakily, he got to his feet and blacked out for a second. He shook his head as his eyes refocused. The landing bay spun sickeningly and Ben put a hand out to steady himself, nearly falling over when he found nothing stable nearby. 

Eyes red, Maxx made to grab at Ben, but Ben side-stepped and he fell over. Ben stumbled behind him, pressing the gun down on his shoulder for an execution-style kill. Maxx elbowed him in the gut as he pulled the trigger and the beam went through his collarbone to the floor. 

Clutching the wound, Maxx screamed. 

Ben pushed himself to his feet and stumbled away, hurrying out of the landing bay and through doors to corridors they might have come down. His feet felt like they were simultaneously made of lead and helium, every confused step echoing in Ben’s ears. He kept looking back, waiting to see Maxx following him and getting dizzier every time he did. 

He crashed face-first into someone with purple hair, who easily twisted the gun out of his hand and grabbed his throat hard. 

“Which one is this?” they demanded.

Looking harder, Ben realised that the stranger’s hair wasn’t hair at all, but colourful leaves. They were sort of pretty. 

“Ben!” a familiar voice exclaimed.

The hand around his throat loosened. 

“_Ali._” Relief was temporary. “We have to go, he’s probably following me.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patty refuses to leave Ben on his own in his final moments.

Patty jumped when his wrist communicator, which he’d been holding tightly ever since the others left, finally beeped. A message from Ali. 

**found him. meeting up w/ c & f**

Stomach in knots, Patty tapped out a reply. 

**alive? **

He thought he might die waiting for the response.

**y **

He sighed in relief. The communicator beeped again. 

**think hes delirious. needs rest**

**i want 2 b there**, Patty replied, his anxiety returning.

The next message took longer to come.

**ask z & d if its ok**

Patty looked at Zach, watching a monitor in the corner of the room. “I have to go.”

Zach glanced over his shoulder at him. “You have to rest.” 

“He could die while I’m waiting for my fucking head to heal, I _have_ to be there.” 

Zach looked back again, conflicted. “Let me talk to Dan.” He shut off the monitor and left.

The moment he was out the door, Patty swung his legs over the side of the bed and started pulling his clothes on. Whatever they decided, he was going. He couldn’t bear the thought of Ben feeling abandoned now. 

Zach looked tired when he came back in to find Patty fully dressed and waiting expectantly. “Dan’s gonna close up the shop for the day,” he said, “I packed some of my tools, if you feel anything weird you _have_ to tell me right away.” 

Patty nodded. “You ready to go?”

“Yeah.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Foley is sad.

“Zach and Geoff are bringing Patty,” Ali told the room. 

Foley frowned. Shouldn’t he be resting? 

“Is he okay to be walking around?” Cody asked, apparently thinking similarly. 

Ali shrugged. 

“How is he?” Ben asked, looking apologetic. He seemed a bit more relaxed now that they’d locked the door and all had their weapons ready. 

“His head augment was badly damaged, but we managed to get it functional again,” Ali answered. 

Foley wondered why he didn’t just say they fixed it. They did, didn’t they? 

“So what’s _your_ story?” Awsten asked from the corner of the room, arms folded. He’d been standoffish with Ben since they’d all met up and come home. Maybe he thought he was to blame for what happened.

“I used to investigate an organisation called One Great Race,” Ben told him, “I worked here back when the station was a small luxury resort and sent sensitive information I found to my people. I got caught and they gave me all these.” He gestured vaguely at the mess of augments on his head. “Then they cryofroze me. Ali, Foley and Patty found me and woke me up. Now I’m here.” 

Foley found it almost amazing that such a story could be condensed into a few short sentences and that everything that actually happened, the worry, the heartbreak, the pain, could so easily be left out. 

“You must be over a revolution old,” Awsten speculated, his cold composure melting as he took a seat on the crate next to Foley.

Ben tilted his head. “I hadn’t really thought about it like that, but yeah, probably.” 

“You look good for your age.”

“Thank you.”

Foley pat Ben’s back, trying to fake a smile but feeling like everyone saw right through it even though nobody was really looking at him. 

Ali stood up. “I’m going to do some tests, okay?” 

Foley stood too, feeling like he’d had more than enough of sitting around and waiting to hear bad news recently. “I’ll put some food on.”


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben appreciates his friends.

Since defrosting, Ben had found himself unable to enjoy food. He could taste it, recognise if it was spicy or fruity or salty, but it had seemed like the air he breathed had a more interesting flavour. He wondered why the porridge Foley had just made was any different, why it was suddenly so delicious to him. 

“Um…”

Ben glanced at Ali, who had scanned him with the same device three times now. “What’s wrong?”

“I think it’s broken,” Ali confessed. 

“What’s it say?”

“Well…” He held Ben’s wrist, two fingertips to his vein. “Your heartbeat’s definitely much stronger than it was last we checked. Steadier, too. I suppose it _could_ be working, but I don’t understand how your lungs would suddenly be this much healthier.”

Ben frowned. “When Maxx caught me he said that some of my augments are supposed to help me survive after being frozen for so long, but they hadn’t been properly activated. Maybe he got them working after all.” 

Foley looked up from his bowl of porridge, looking unsure of whether this was a good time to start feeling hopeful. Maybe Ben was just projecting. 

“Did he do anything else?” Ali asked interestedly.

“He connected our circulatory systems.” He showed Ali the ports on his wrist, which connected to blood vessels as it turned out. “I suppose he’s probably immune to whatever I have so his blood would help immunise me.” 

Ali looked pained. “That was an…_interesting_ decision.” 

Ben frowned. “What makes you say that?” 

“Well...you can’t just _do_ that. There are blood types and things, and with how far along the virus had developed he would have made himself sick too. The risk of complication is much too high to make trying something like that worth it. It probably wouldn’t work anyway.” 

Ben looked down. “I fucking _knew_ it.” That goddamn dumbass…

The door creaked and Ben was on his feet, a gun pointed to it as it opened. He relaxed when Patty poked his head in, turning the tint on his contacts down. As Ben holstered his weapon, Patty raced in and almost crashed into him, squeezing him tightly. 

“I had to come.” 

Ben hugged him back. “I’m sorry.” 

They separated and Ben’s chest tightened at the sadness in Patty’s eyes. 

“I didn’t want you to think I forgot about you.” 

Cody took Patty’s hand and pulled him towards his bunk. “You should lie down,” he said gently. 

As they sat, Awsten joining them and asking Patty how he was doing, Zach and Geoff came in. The bunker felt tiny with so many people in it. 

“So what do you think, Ali?” Ben asked.

“I wouldn’t want to raise hopes if I’m wrong, but...you definitely have a bit more time, at least.” 

Patty sat up. “What are you talking about?” 

“Maxx activated augments that help me fight disease,” Ben summarised, “I’m feeling better now.” 

“Who _is_ Maxx?” Cody demanded, pulling Patty back to his side. 

Ben looked down. “He was my friend before I was sent here. Ogre captured him and turned him into their puppet. They sent him here to capture me when I was defrosted and they picked up the signal from my tracker.”

“Shitty friend,” Cody commented. 

Ben shot him a look. “He was the greatest friend I’ve ever had. He didn’t just swap sides on a whim, Ogre turned him into what he is now.” He looked at the space heater. “It’s one of their favourite games. Any time they get their hands on someone they can use, they torture and operate and mindwipe and condition until everything they were disappears. Then they send them after their friends.” He doubted OGR had any idea that Ben and Maxx had known each other, though. This time, it was just a sick coincidence. 

“So it _is_ Ogre that’s behind this?” Foley asked, “They’re still around?” 

“That’s what it looks like.” 

The room was silent for a moment.

“What the fuck is Ogre?” Awsten asked.

For maybe the first time since being stationed on Zsashos V, Ben found himself wanting to genuinely laugh. It was so strange to think that despite everything he might actually have another shot at life. A life on this gods-forsaken space station. A life with these odd but kind and welcoming people. What the fuck was he supposed to do with himself now?


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 173 perseveres.

173 wondered where his priorities should be now. Should he find a new vessel or recapture 83N? He could get hurt without 173’s protection, but it seemed that holding him for an extended period of time would be troublesome. But then, both of those things would be difficult in his current state. 

He’d used the piece of cable 83N had tried to strangle him with to tie his wrist to his shoulder, a difficult feat since moving that arm was agony. The nanites in his blood were only designed to heal minor injuries. He’d need a professional for his collarbone. 

Why didn’t 83N want to come home? Why didn’t he want to become better than human? Or serve a greater purpose? Was he afraid of failure?

173 pushed himself to his feet. _He_ hadn’t failed. Losing his craft was just a minor setback, he could work around it. In fact, it would just show how good he was at working through unexpected obstacles! When he brought 83N back alive and healthy, they’d see how skilled and indispensable he was and probably give him a medal or something. 

It would all be fine. He just needed to bring 173 home.


End file.
